Story+1977-02-19+St.+Paul,+MN

´´(?)....I grew up in this small town, it was about 10,000 people, I guess....and it was about 20 miles inland from the coast and uh.....I lived in this two-family house on this main street in town and uh....my mom, she worked, she was a secretary, she worked downtown in one of the big office buildings and my pop, he worked for Pinkerton Guards for a while and sometimes he was a guard down at the jail and he used to work in this rug mill, used to have in town until it closed down, put everybody out of work so he was home a lot.....and I remember in the summertime....on the hot nights I used to, right off my bedroom there was this little roof, I used to open the window and.....throw my mattress through the, through the window and sleep outside on the roof and right next door there was this gas-station, closed up about one o’clock.....I remember all night long, there’d be these different guys, some guys I knew from school, some guys I´d just seen around town, pulling in, meeting somebody there, pulling on, riding down the highway towards the coast, out towards the beach....and I used to, soon as I hit 16, me and this guy Steve, we took off for New York City....and we worked downtown, in the Village in some of the small coffeehouses and such, sometimes, uh, stayed at the old Albert Hotel....till we ran out of money and till the cops....cops caught us sitting around Port Authority (?) sent us back home....I remember my Pop, every night, without fail, at nine o´clock would shut off every light in the house....he was real pissed off if anybody came in and turned ´em on, he’d sit there in the kitchen in the dark, drinking a six pack of beer, smoking a cigarette.....and my mom, she’d sit in the frontroom with just the TV on till she fell asleep....got up and go to work next morning.....and I remember coming back from the city....I knew no matter how long I’d been gone.....that the old man´d be sitting at that kitchen table in the dark waiting for me to come in.....and he used to lock up the frontdoor so that me and my sister couldn’t come in ‘round the front.....and he´d sit there in the dark waiting for us....if you came in early when he hadn´t been sitting there and thinking too long, it wasn´t too bad....but if you came in....if you came in late or early in the morning, he´d been sitting there all night....I used to stand there in the driveway, I could see the light of his cigarette through the screen door....and I’d stand there and I´d stand there, finally I’d slick my hair back real tight so he couldn’t tell how long it was and I´d step up and try to make it through the kitchen and he’d always stop me just as soon as I hit that bottom step and call me to come back and sit down....and for all, as long as we did that....this´d just go on over and over again, in the winter we´d sit there in the kitchen in the dark and have just the gas jets on in the stove to make it warm....and he´d sit there talking to me, talking to me and I could always hear his voice.....but I could never see his face.....we’d start off talking about nothing too much, how things was going, how I was doing....pretty soon he’d be asking me where I got my money from or what I thought I was doing with myself and how my life was just a waste.....we’d always end up screaming at each other, my mother’d end up running in from the frontroom to try and keep us....from fighting with each other, trying to pull him off and I’d always end up running out the backdoor, yelling at him, telling him, telling him....that it was my life and I was gonna do what I wanted to do....´´
 * 19.02.77 St.Paul, MN, intro to ´´It´s My Life´´**

´´This is for Benjy and Judy (someone yells)(chuckles) that you?....this is for everybody that´s believed (?)....´´
 * 19.02.77 St.Paul, MN, intro to ´´Thunder Road´´**

´´Just me and you, baby....just me and you, girl....we could steal away....we could steal away ....we could steal away....I remember....how we thought we had it all figured out....I was gonna take my money out of the bank and you were gonna quit your job....and I was gonna quit my job too....well, I remember....we figured we could steal away....I remember you promised, I remember we both promised that.....you was never gonna go anyplace, go anyplace without me.....I remember....(?) you promised....and the rain came tumbling down ....I remember you promised you were never gonna go anyplace, you swore.....as the rains came tumbling down....Sunday morning....I was waiting on the corner....with my suitcase in my hand and my collar up as the rains came....and the rains came tumbling down....and I was looking for you....and I was looking for you....and I was, I was waiting for you....and I was looking for you....because you promised....because you promised....because you promised.... and then....and then....and then....YOU LIED!....YOU LIED!....YOU LIED!....´´
 * 19.02.77 St.Paul, MN, middle of ´´Backstreets´´**

´´We´ve got with us tonight....on the piano....the man with all the degrees....and all the keys.....Professor Roy Bittan....play that (?) Professor....oh yeah (chuckles) on the guitar.... producer....composer...singer....the man who brought you such great hits as....´I Don’t Wanna Go Home’....´Sweeter Than Honey´....you all know him, you all love him....at least you all know him (chuckles) the magnificent Miami Steve Van Zandt....back on the drums, the Migh-ty Max....on the organ, Phantom Dan Federici....play it, Phantom....(?)....on the bass guitar....Mr.Garry W.Tallent....I´ll introduce him twice ´cause I forgot the first time..... Mr.Garry W.Tallent....and of course, in the back, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Miami Horns....and last but not least.....king of the goddamn world....master of the motherfucking universe....(the ending is missing from my source tape)....´´
 * 19.02.77 St.Paul, MN, middle of ´´Rosalita´´**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//